Abstract

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Parents of children with disabilities frequently feel unable to collaborate easily and effectively with schools―even though family-school partnership is a cornerstone of the federal special education law in the United States (i.e., the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: IDEA). Parents report many barriers to effective parent-school collaboration―including their own lack of knowledge of their rights, and feelings of disempowerment when communicating with the school. To help parents overcome these barriers and establish a better working partnership with schools, Congress in the United States developed federally-funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs). These PTIs designed to educate and empower parents of children with disabilities in their interactions with schools. Based upon a literature review, this paper describes the history and mission of PTIs, together with the programming and supports offered by PTIs to facilitate parent-school collaboration.

 

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Keywords: collaboration, disability, family-school partnership, parent training